Monty Williams returns to Spurs as basketball ops VP

New Orleans Pelicans head coach Monty Williams calls out from the bench in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Atlanta Hawks in New Orleans, Monday, Feb. 2, 2015. AP

SAN ANTONIO — Monty Williams is the new vice president of basketball operations for the San Antonio Spurs, returning to the franchise he has already been part of as both a player and a coaching intern.

Williams appeared in 154 games with the Spurs between 1996 and 1998. He was a coaching intern with the team in the 2004-05 season, the first step on a path that would lead him to spend five seasons as an assistant in Portland, five years as a head coach in New Orleans and then an assistant again last season in Oklahoma City.

Williams has also been an assistant for the USA Basketball men’s national team.

His hiring was one of several announced Friday by the Spurs, who also added Brian Wright as assistant general manager, Phil Cullen as director of basketball strategy, Pat Sund as a pro personnel scout, Nick Repole as director of basketball information systems and Landry Fields — who spent five years in the NBA as a player — as a college scout.

The Spurs also made a number of promotions, most notably Will Hardy being elevated from video coordinator to assistant coach.

Other promotions included Andy Birdsong to director of pro player personnel, Brandon James to assistant general counsel and director of basketball administration, Dave Telep to director of scouting, Xavi Schelling is now the team’s director of sports science and athletic performance, Niraj Mulji is the new basketball operations manager and Dutch Gaitley replaces Hardy as video coordinator.